Policies: Boating Guidelines

Boats equipped with sink drains or flush toilets are barred unless the drains and toilets are sealed, inoperable, or are designed so that no waste can be discharged into the lakes.

Boats must be at least 12 feet long, 42 inches wide, and have 12 inches of freeboard at idle speed. Multi-hulled boats must have solid and fixed decking. Engine noise must not exceed 75 decibels at a distance of 50 feet with the engine running at 80% of redline RPM. All engines must be unmodified, standard equipment.

Touring and recreation style kayaks, at least 10 feet long with seating for all passengers inside the boat, are allowed.

No sit on-top kayaks are allowed.

Alcohol is not permitted on boats or marina at Diamond Valley Lake.

All boats must carry approved life jackets for each person aboard. Type B fire extinguishers are required on boats where a fire hazard could be expected from the motors or the fuel system.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California can close the lake at any time. The number of boats permitted on the lake will be determined by lake elevation, public safety considerations, and water quality concerns.

The speed limit for all watercraft on Diamond Valley Lake is 25mph. The maximum speed for boats within 200 feet of the shore, dams, other operational structures and in marina areas is 5mph.

Pets are not allowed.

All boats must receive an MWD inspection sticker before getting onto Diamond Valley Lake. Inspections will be done at Diamond Valley Lake but it is recommended that your boat be inspected prior to arrival.

Policies: Boat Reservations

Each reservation call or online session that creates a confirmed reservation will be charged a 6% fee in addition to any fees or rental charges collected. Reservation fee is non-refundable.

Up to 4 reservations can be made per call to the Call Center.

Cancellation Policy – Cancellations must be made 8 days prior to your arrival date; you will receive a full refund minus the 6% reservation fee . To cancel a reservation, call Diamond Valley Reservations at 800-590-LAKE (5253) by 6:00 pm, have your confirmation reservation number available prior to calling.

Change Policy – If you need to change your reservation you must call Diamond Valley Reservations at 800-590-LAKE (5253) by 6:00 pm, 72 hours prior to your arrival date. Have your confirmation reservation number available prior to calling. You are allowed to change your reservation once. Afterwards any change will be treated as a cancellation.

A confirmed reservation may not be cancelled within 7 days or less of the arrival date.

Confirmed reservations are not transferable.

Reservation fees and all access and rental charges must be paid in advance at the time of the reservation. Only Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards will be accepted for payment.

Confirmed reservations will receive a confirmation document by e-mail, fax or US Postal Service (if requested). Users must either print the confirmation document or have their confirmation number with a photo ID to present to the entrance gate upon arrival in order to expedite entrance.

Urban Park Concessionaires and Diamond Valley Marina reserve the right when necessary to modify reservation policies.

Policies: Boat Launching

Boats must meet the criteria of MWD for all boats on Diamond Valley Lake and submit to an inspection prior to or on arrival at the DVL Entrance Station.

Boat owners must read and understand the inspection criteria.

If your boat does not meet the inspection criteria or pass the inspection upon arrival, your access to DVL will be denied with no refund of reservation or access fees.

Boats must be off the water one hour before the marina closes. Vehicles must depart the marina parking area immediately while day-light permits. Closing time is strictly enforced. All boaters need to vacate the lake by the posted closing time.

Policies: General Recreation

Diamond Valley Lake is a zero-body contact drinking water lake and wading, swimming, personal watercraft, water skiing and float tubes are prohibited.

Floating sanitation facilities are available in convenient locations around the lake. Portable toilets are not allowed in vessels on DVL.

Each angler must have a MWD Daily Fishing Access Pass in his/her possession for each day of fishing at Diamond Valley Lake.

All anglers 16 years of age or older must also possess and display a valid California DFG Fishing License.

All Boating Safety Rules and Regulations for Diamond Valley Lake, including the no pets and no alcoholic beverages policies, posted on www.dvmarina.com and/or provided at the Marina must be followed.

The speed limit for all watercraft on Diamond Valley Lake is 25 mph. The maximum speed for boats within 200 feet of shore, dams, other operational structures and in marina areas is 5 mph.

Problem boaters may not be allowed to return. Problems include reckless boating, returning after hours, destroying property, littering, etc. Failure to follow all rules will result in expulsion from Diamond Valley Lake.

Diamond Valley Marina has no control over the weather. All reservation commitments must be honored regardless of weather conditions.

Boat launching and landing is allowed only at designated docks and ramps.

Metropolitan Water District and Diamond Valley Marina can close the lake to boating at any time and the number of boats allowed on the lake will be determined by lake elevation, public safety considerations and water quality concerns.

Policies: Quagga Mussel Prevention

All vessels must be CLEAN, DRAINED, & DRY prior to being allowed to launch at Diamond Valley Lake. This is a zero tolerance policy.

All watercraft operators will be interviewed prior to launching at Diamond Valley Lake to insure the following requirements have been followed.

When leaving any waterbody, you must:

Inspect the boat, trailer and boating equipment and remove any plants and animals that are visible.

Drain water from the motor, livewell, bilge and transom wells while on land before leaving any waterbody. The veligers are microscopic and probably cannot be seen without magnification; therefore, draining all standing water and drying those areas is essential.

Empty your bait bucket in disposal container before leaving the waterbody. Never release live bait into a waterbody, or release aquatic animals from one waterbody into another.

Wash and dry your watercraft, tackle, downriggers, trailer, and other boating equipment to kill harmful species that were not visible at the boat launch.

ALL watercraft that have been in Quagga Mussel infested water must:

All vessels used in a contaminated waterbody for less than 24 hours must remain out of any waterbody and dry for 7 consecutive days prior to launching at Diamond Valley Lake.

Completely drain all water from the motor and standing water in the bilge, livewells, bait tanks, and internal ballast tanks in the watercraft. Draining the standing water is essential before leaving the infested waterbody.

Wet Weather Boat Launch Policy:

We strongly encourage boaters to get their boat inspected and banded prior to wet weather to insure that their vessel will be able to launch on a rainy day.

However, to facilitate boating when pre-banding is not feasible, inspectors MAY allow a launch of an un-banded boat if the following conditions are met:

The boat arrives covered; AND

The interior of the boat is completely dry under the cover; AND

When the outboard is lowered for inspection, no water flows out; AND

The exterior of the boat is clean (i.e.: no mud, vegetation or rough services that may contain microscopic quagga or zebra mussels), AND

In the inspector’s opinion the only exterior wetness appears to be road splash and/or rain water.

Please be aware, that the inspectors decision about whether an un-banded boat may launch on a rainy day is final. Although an inspector may allow a covered boat to launch, there is a chance a boater may be denied a launch based on the inspector’s observations. If you would like to insure you can launch your boat on a rainy day, your best plan of action is to pre-band your boat.